Plymouth Science Park welcomes Ocean Ecology Limited

This month, Plymouth Science Park has welcomed Ocean Ecology Limited (OEL) to the flourishing community of marine and engineering businesses already based at the Park.

OEL is recognised as one of the UK’s leading marine ecological consultancies and provides a range of marine survey, laboratory and advisory services for projects in both the coastal and offshore zones. The company comprises a 25-strong team of marine scientists who hold expertise in the study of marine species and habitats as well as providing expert advice on the design and implementation of marine monitoring.

As of June 2021, Plymouth based Peninsula Data Solutions (PDS) will be forming a new ‘Data Solutions’ arm of OEL bringing a wealth of experience in providing software, data and analytic solutions to the scientific and research sectors.

Headed-up by Paul Williams and Elliot Carter, the Data Solutions team will be based at the Plymouth Science Park; adding to OEL’s growing UK-wide presence and providing an important local foothold in the South West. From the Park, the Data Solutions team will be focusing on using their specialist software and data engineering experience to improve the management of the growing volume of data collected during OEL’s marine survey activities. This new venture will also provide benefits to other marine scientific organisations through the continued upgrades to the novel data management tools offered by OEL including the cloud-based marine ecological database solution ‘ABACUS’.

Ross Griffin, Technical Director of Ocean Ecology said: “Plymouth is well-known as a global centre of excellence for marine science and technology so having a presence at the Science Park will mean we’ll be ideally placed to collaborate with other leading marine scientific organisations on projects in the South West and beyond.”

Since its inception in 2013 OEL has undergone significant growth, recently bolstered through its merger with the Norwegian based technical consultancy Åkerblå Group.  The company operates several survey vessels and fully equipped laboratory facilities located on the banks of the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire. More recent growth has also seen the establishment of a Scottish presence with a new aquaculture-focused team based at the European Marine Science Park in Oban.

Ross added: “Successfully managing the increasing volume of data that we collect in the field and generate in our laboratory is fundamental to meeting the ever-changing needs of our clients. We are thrilled that Paul and Elliot will be forming our new Data Solutions team to be based at Plymouth Science Park and look forward to seeing how we can work collaboratively with the cluster of innovative businesses based at the site.”

Fay Davies, Business Development Manager at Plymouth Science Park, said: “Plymouth, known as ‘Britain’s Ocean City’, is renowned for its strong connections to the marine environment and we are delighted to be supporting Ocean Ecology as they continue to grow their business and form collaborations in the region which will ultimately lead to improved governance of the marine environment.”